Need some help with an outdoor pond!

I might get an 1100 gallon pool and use it for a tropical fish pond. Dimensions are 10' diameter, 30" deep. In it would be large cichlids, like pbass, dovii, jags, festae, and large catfish, too. My prize channel catfish, and RTC and maybe a TSN.

I live right outside of Miami, Florida, and am wondering if I would need to heat the pond. Rarely, as everyone knows, it drops below 50 degrees. It does sometimes, but rarely. So do I need a heater?

Filtration will be my second problem. The pond is only 1100 gallons, so I was thinking of doing some DIY. I was thinking a trashcan full of scrubbies kind of like a bio tower. And then maybe an FX5 or a pond filter.

Can I have some feedback please? What do you think?

Do you think the bio tower would be enough on it's own, or do you think I should also use something else?

How many watts of heaters do you recomend?

Nope. Even in winter, maybe two nights/days out of the year it will drop below 60. I think I will add a few, just incase.

Is there anyway that I can only make it go on if the water reaches a certain temp.? If so, how can I make that happen?

sploke said:

Most heaters have thermostats in them, so that would take care of them If the pond gets sun part or all day, enough to maintain a temp of 75ish, that volume of water will take a long time to cool off. Are you planning on burying it, or leaving it above-ground? Burying it would keep the temp even more stable.

For my pond I built a large canister filter out of 4" PVC, run by I think a 1700gph pond pump. I also have an 18w UV sterilizer in-line to keep the green water down.

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I would partially bury it, maybe one foot in and 18" out.

That DIY canister out of PVC is very intresting. Can you explain it more and how you made it? Thanks a bunch sploke.

Ok great! I'm looking foward to this, it sounds really cool. Thanks Sploke!